Garment hanger construction



April 1, 1952 J. K. BURNS 2,591,234

GARMENT HANGER CONSTRUCTION Filed June 7, 19.49 2 SHEETS--SHEET l 4 QL E5 I INVENTOR. F 1g- 5 JQselD/z K. Burns BY gym, @www /Q ATTORNEYS April I, 1952 J, K, BURNS GARMENT HANGER CONSTRUCTION 2 SHEETS--SI-IEET 2 F'ilfedv June 7, 1949 .IIIIHIJ L. 0o. 7 .wu 1 2 6 INVENTOR. Josyk K. Burns Patented Apr. l, 1952 GARMENT HANGER coNsTnUc'rroN `ioseph K. Burns, Londonbridge, Va., assigner to National Wire Hanger Manufacturing Co., Inc., Norfolk, Va., a corporation of `Virginia Application June 7, 1949, Serial No. I97,506 2 Claims. (Cl. 22 3-88) This invention relates to garment hanger constructions and more particularly to the construc- .tion of hangers of the general class in which the sides and top of the hanger are-formed 01" wire or' similar material bent into the desired shape, and in which the bottom of the hanger includes `a tube of cardboard, bre or the like. 1

Heretofore, hangers of this class generally, if

.not always, have been so constructed that the `wire parts and tube parts have had to be assembled, often by the user, after the wire part has been bent to substantially its final form.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved garment hanger of the general class referred to in which the separate parts are assembled before the wire part is bent to nnal form, so that when the wire has been bent the hanger is in nished condition, ready for immediate use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hanger of the character stated in which the parts are so inter-related that they can not come apart accidentally.

Another object of the invention is to provide -a garmenthanger characterized by a novel and improved coordination between the wire part and the tube part by which the tube part is permanently held against rotation or rocking relatively to the wire part.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in section showing a garment hanger embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view showing a wire part seated in a deformation pinched in a tube part in situ;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary end elevation of the parts shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a topplan View of the parts shown in Figure 2, portions of the wire part being shown in section;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary, perspective View of an end of the tube part and the associated part of the wire member;

'Figure 6 is a schematic view illustrating the relative positions of the tube and wire parts and elements of a bending or forming apparatus at one stage of making the hanger in accordance with the invention;

Figure '7 is a View similar to Figure 6 but showing parts in the positions occupied during subsequent stages of making the hanger;

Figure 8 is a detail section on the line 8-8 of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary, top plan viewshowing parts as they appear when viewed in ,the direction of the arrow 9 in Figure 6; and

Figure l0 is a fragmentary or detailview showing parts of a hook forming apparatus in operative positions.

The preferred hanger construction shown for illustrating the invention comprises a member A of stiff but bendable wire or like material formed so as to have a hook l, two downwardly diverging side portions 2-2, and a bottom .or horizontal portion 3 surrounded throughout its length by the walls of a tube B. The hook Imay be formed in any suitable manner, and the side portions 2-2 and bottom portion 3 are so related to each other as to constitute a substantially 'triangular unit which, in itself and considered generally, is well known in the art.

The tube B may be formed of cardboard, lbre, or similar inexpensive material, and possesses the desired relative rigidity as compared to the wire member A. The internal diameter of the tube B is materially greater than the diameter of the wire portion 3, so as. to provide considerable clearance between the inside of the tube and the outside of the wire portion 3. In general, the tube B should be of such diameter that its outer surface is not so abruptly curved as to form a crease in a folded garment draped over the tube. The walls of the tube are uninterrupted, having no notches, grooves, spiral slits, or other structural modifications of a nature to lessen its inherent weight-supporting properties.

In accordance with the invention, parts ofthe wire member A adjacent the junctu'res of `the side portions 2--2 and bottom portion 3 are so related to the ends of the tube B as to have binding engagement with the tube, and thereby to resist rotation of the tube which otherwise might be caused by a preponderance of weight of a garment draped over the tube being on one side of the tube. As shown in Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, the aforesaid parts of the member A generally designated 4-4 are positioned in. seats 5--5 in the tube ends formed in situ by pinching the tube ends upwardly and inwardly by bending the wire parts 4--4 during the forming of the wire into the triangular unit. The upward and inward pressure of the wire parts 4-4 causes the tube material engaged by these wire parts to be deformed so as to provide seats without, however, causing the removal, slitting, rupturing, or fraying of material at the tube ends. Preferably, the bottom portion 3 of the wire member A is bowed downwardly so that an arcuate intermediate part of this wire portion presses resiliently against the bottoni of the tube, thus constantly and resiliently urging the wire parts 4 4 into intimate and forcible engagement or contact with the inwardly deformed seats 5 in the ends of the tube B. Consequently, the wire parts 4 4 are snugly and permanently received in the seats 5 5 so as to be maintained in constant pressing contact therewith. This prevents even the slightest rocking or rotational movement of the tube B on the member A, and avoids the progressive fraying of the tube ends which otherwise would take place if even a very slight relative movement of the parts were permitted to take place.

Garment hangers having the novel and desir able structural features pointed out above may advantageously be made in accordance with the 1 invention by practicing the method now to be described.

As shown in Figure 6, a wire blank A and tube B are first assembled'so 'that the wire blank extends through the tube and has portions 2 projecting beyond opposite ends of the tube. The projecting end portions 2' are positioned to rest in inner seats 6 6 carried, respectively, on bending arms '1 1 pivoted as at 8 8. Preferably, the tube is positioned with its center under a main former 9 and a top former I0, the end portions of the tube underlying bending supports II II spaced, respectively, slightly inwardly from the ends of the tube. The tube may be held against the bending supports Il II under light clamping pressure by any suitable means such as plungers I2 I2 adapted to be moved upwardly from below to engage the end portions of the tube in opposition to the supports II I I.

When the parts have been positioned as shown in Figure 6, the arms 'I l are then swung upwardly and inwardly so as to pass through the positions shown in dotted lines in Figure '7 to the positions shown in full lines in the same figure. The bending. arms 1 1 have outer wirereceiving seats I3 I3 and pins I4 I4 positioned to cooperate with the formers 9 and I0 and bend the upper parts of the wire portions 2 2' to the shape indicated at 2 2 in Figure 7. The supports II are so positioned that the bending of the wire parts 2 2 forms the wire parts 4 4 previously referred to in such relation to the tube ends as to crimp or pinch the seats 5 in situ as previously explained. As a part of, the same bending operation, the bottom portion of the wire is bowed downwardly to press resiliently against the bottom of the tube B.

While the parts are in the positions shown in full lines in Figure '7, a twister head I5 of any suitable kind is moved downwardly to engage the vertically extending end portions of the wire, which are then twisted as at I6 (see Figure 10), thereby securing the parts of the wire member A and the tube B in the relative positions shown in Figure 7, so that, when the hanger parts are removed from the forming apparatus, the parts 4 4 oi the wire will remain resiliently pressed into the pinched-in seats 5.

After the twisting of the wire parts at I6, a hooi; former Il Divoted as at I8 and an associated mandrel I9.may be operated for bending the upstanding wire parts in the manner indicated in Figure 10 to form the hook I.

Preferably, the bending suports II II are suiciently narrow lengthwise of the tube B to form narrow depressions 20 in the top of the tube extending transversely to the tube axis and bearing on the member A, as best shown in Figures 2 and 5. The pressing-in of the tube end portions has the desirable effect of causing the seats 5 5 to be so formed as to present extended bearing surfaces for engagement with the wire parts 4 4, thus avoiding having only the extreme inner edges of the tube ends presented for engagement by the wire parts 4 4.

The hanger construction shown embodies the invention in a preferred form, but it is intended that the disclosure be considered as illustrative rather than definitive, the invention being defined in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

l. In a garment hanger, a stiif wire or the like member including downwardly diverging side portions and a bottom portion connecting the lower ends of said side portions, said side and bottom portions conjointly forming a substantially triangular unit; and a tube surrounding said bottom portion throughout its extent and being in binding, rotation-resisting engagement with said bottom portion, the internal diameter of said tube being materially greater than the diameter of said member, and the tops of the ends of said tube respectively having seats pinched therein in situ by forcible contact with parts of said member adjacent the junctures of said side portions and said bottom portion, an intermediate part of said bottomportion being arcuate and resiliently pressing against the central portion of the bottom of said tube for urging said seats and said contacting parts of said member into intimate mutual engagement.

2. In a garment hanger, a stiff wire or the like member including downwardly diverging side portions and a bottom portion connecting the lower ends of said side portions, said side and bottom portions conjointly forming a substantially triangular unit; and a tube surrounding said bottom portion throughout its extent, the internal diameter of said tube being materially greater than the diameter of said member, and the bottom portion of said member being bowed so that an intermediate part thereof presses resilient-ly downwardly against the central portion of the bottom of the tube with resultant upward pressing of parts of said member againstY The following references are of record in the rile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,885,263 Hulett e- Nov. 1, 1932 2,268,265 Ruen Dec. 30, 1941 

